SAN FRANCISCO Neuralink, owned by the visionary and the world’s third richest man, Elon Musk, has released a video in which the monkey plays the legendary game of Pong with only his thoughts. Neuralink wants to use similar technology to allow people suffering from motion paralysis to use smartphones and other similar devices.
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A nine-year-old macaque named Pager has a chip implanted in both hemispheres of the brain, which has been used to create an interface between the brain and the video game. The chips work on the basis of Bluetooth technology, which can create communication between man and machine without the need to use manual elements.
Musk showed the test pig with a chip in his head. The device monitors the brain and is intended to help treat serious diseases |
Musk repeatedly announced that his company Neuralink made it possible to control computers with the help of chips, but until now, according to the server Business Insider she presented no evidence. In August last year, at least the company demonstrated a built-in chip in the pig’s head that could sense real-time brain activity. Musk said at the time that this was the first step in the fight against brain paralysis, but also, for example, a kind of telepathy.
Neuralink scientists and engineers implanted a chip in Pager’s head about six weeks ago. The video released by the technology company shows how Pager first controls the game via a joystick. It must move the cursor to the lit box. If he succeeds, he gets a banana smoothie as a reward through a tube that leads directly to his mouth.
At this stage, the chip senses Pager’s brain activity and sends the recorded recording back to the computer to analyze what his brain is doing when the macaque moves its arm. Subsequently, a team of experts disconnects the joystick, but the monkey continues to control the game using signals sent from a chip in the brain.
Elon Musk said on Twitter last week that with a similar technology, his company wants to help people with motion paralysis control smart technologies, including smartphones. The chips could also be used for people with synthetic limbs.
Neuroscientist Andrew Jackson of the University of Newcastle told Business Insider that primates controlling video games in a similar way are nothing new. Nevertheless, according to him, it is a great test that the technology works.
“If you invent a new telescope, you want to see what it really allows you to see. It is similar with any other technology. I’m sure this is the right way to verify that the chips are working properly, “said Jackson. “I have no doubt that this new technology will be very useful in the future. Just because Muskova’s company offers this technology to the general scientific public, “he added.
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